Crystallized Ginger

From: Sarah Henderson

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 15:40:29 -0700 (PDT)

Note: I doubled this recipe, but stuck with one lemon. Don't let the
number of days it takes scare you off. It takes a while, but the ginger
requires very little attention.
adapted from _Joy of Cooking_
~1.5 lbs. fresh, young ginger--peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick
circles to make 1 quart
water
3 cups sugar
1 lemon, seeded and sliced
1 cup light corn syrup
granulated sugar or special large crystal sugar
In a large, HEAVY stainless steel pot place the ginger and cover with
plenty of water. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer
until tender when poked with a knife(~20 minutes.) Add 1 cup sugar, stir
until it boils. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand at room
temperature overnight.
Second day, uncover, slowly bring to boil, simmer 15 minutes. Add lemon
and 1 cup light corn syrup. Simmer 15 minutes more, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand at room temperature
overnight.
Third day, uncover and bring to boil, stirring more often. Add 1 cup
sugar and simmer 30 minutes, stirring more often. Add 1 cup sugar and
bring to boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand at room temperature
overnight.
Fourth day, slowly bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until ginger is
translucent and syrup drops heavily from side of spoon(instead of forming
two drips, it forms one heavy drip from the side of the spoon.) I let it
cook quite slowly at this stage, at a medium-low heat, and stirred it
occasionally(just avoid scortching.) It took about 45 minutes.
Drain the ginger, reserving the syrup for flavoring other things, and
remove the lemon slices. Spread ginger on a rack over a tray and dry
uncovered overnight. When dried, roll slices in granulated sugar. I used
a mix of plain sugar and that special large crystal sugar. Store in
tightly covered glass jars.